The Sheffield Scenester

The Violet May have recently released two songs through ohinvertedworld, both of which have been available as downloads since May 24th. Complete with this is a video of ‘Bright Or Better’ which can be seen on their MySpace page, which was filmed live in Peter Stringfellows Strip Club and directed by Douglas Hart of Jesus And Mary Chain.

The track ‘Bright Or Better’ opens at full throttle with a hard thumping rhythm, pretty much in the same vein as some of Stereophonics edgier tracks, namely ‘Bank Holiday’ and ‘Dakota’. This unrelenting energy onslaught is interspersed with a wailing solo that’s enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. With Chris McClure grinding out lyrics using a delivery devoid of all emotion, surprisingly though this only serves to enhance the songs distant yet pulsing warmth. The recording levels fall just short of distortion and at times seem to drown out the vocals but after a couple of plays, the lyrics seem to come across crystal clear, albeit slightly...erm... muddy crystal (if you know what i mean...?!).

The second track, ‘This Crowd Is Over Crowded’, appears to start with the sound of applause before a hook laden riff takes you by the throat and strangles you into submission. With influences ranging from Muse to Kasabian this is a more anthem based composition with monolithic guitars scaling heights of euphoric skuzz previously unheard of! The vocals come through bold and unashamed, whilst a backing vocal track is given a near choral effect to enhance the epic aspirations of this recording! At one point drums are soaring unfettered around a screaming feedback note, leading into a rousing rhythm of swirling guitars and thrashing drums. Beneath it all, whether this is intentional or not, but the scream of a crowd can be heard at a very low level, serving to elevate this tune to a stratospheric level!

With enough energy and drive to power a demonic juggernaut into hell and back these are two awesome tracks on so many levels – enough to confuse Dante himself! When listening to The Violet May you have to remember, it’s not just about the music, it’s about the uncensored power screaming at you, that is the nucleus of this bands delivery!

Tracey Welch